WASHINGTON, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 29th Dec, 2024) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent Muslim advocacy group, Sunday called on US President Joe Biden to demand the release of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was kidnapped by Israeli forces.
The hospital was the last functioning medical facility in northern Gaza and Friday’s Israeli bombing put it out of service.
According to media reports, Dr. Safiya was assaulted before being detained on Saturday.
CAIR also condemned Israel’s targeted attacks on hospitals and its killing, kidnapping and abuse of medical staff and patients.
Those kidnapped by Israel at the hospital described being beaten, spit on, stripped and left in the cold for hours as they were held and interrogated. “They took photos of all of us. They spat on us. They humiliated us,” one man said. “Before releasing us, they put a number on everyone’s chest and back.”
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“Israel’s ongoing genocidal assault on medical personnel, patients and hospitals must be condemned by all people of conscience who value international laws and norms.
“The Biden administration, which is complicit with Israel’s genocide, must call for an end to Israeli attacks on medical facilities throughout Gaza and must demand the release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.”
Since Oct 7, 2023, Israel has slaughtered more than 45,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children. The World Food Program now says Israel is forcibly depriving over two million people of access to food, water, shelter in Gaza.
The whereabouts of Abu Safiya and other hospital staff are unclear, CAIR said.
As calls grow for information on Abu Safiya’s fate, a picture has circulated on social media depicting him as “one of the most honorable examples of resilience.”
“Dr. Hussam Abu Safia stands as one of the most honorable examples of resilience, embodying its noblest form. Like the roots of Palestine’s olive trees, older than Israel’s entire existence, Dr. Hussam represents steadfastness,” ‘Martyrs of Gaza’ wrote in a post on X.
“Abducting doctors is a war crime, and silence in the face of such crimes is an even greater offense.”
Earlier this week, CAIR reiterated its call for the American Medical Association (AMA) to condemn Israel’s attacks on medical facilities in Gaza as three hospitals in devastated northern Gaza are under siege or face forced evacuation.
In its previous letter to AMA President Bruce Scott, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad wrote:
“The genocidal far-right government of indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu has already slaughtered more than 1,000 health care workers in Gaza, with the massacre of doctors at Kamal Adwan Hospital being just the latest atrocity. It is the duty of all those who care about the safety and security of medical personnel in conflict zones worldwide to speak out against these war crimes. We urge you, as president of the AMA, to take firm action in support of your colleagues under siege in Gaza.”
To date, CAIR said it has not received any reply to its letter despite sending copies to all AMA board members.
